


It's You I Like

by storieswelove



Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Alexis loves him a lot, F/M, Ted loves her a lot, also it's christmas, love conquers all in Schitt's Creek, warning for heavy drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-13
Updated: 2019-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:36:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21782728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/storieswelove/pseuds/storieswelove
Summary: “Here? Your friends who hate me are coming here? To the motel?” She punctuated her words with her hands, tips of her fingers pressed together on each hand.“Yep. And it’s gonna be great. They’re excited to meet you.”Well, that was an exaggeration. Still, there were emotions.“Ahhhh, Ted!”---It's Christmas Eve, and a very nervous Ted tries to smooth things over with his friends. Alexis is freaking out.
Relationships: Theodore "Ted" Mullens/Alexis Rose
Comments: 27
Kudos: 85
Collections: Schitt's Creek Open Fic Night 2.0





	It's You I Like

**Author's Note:**

  * For [overcomingthedark](https://archiveofourown.org/users/overcomingthedark/gifts).

> Prompt: I'd love to see an expansion of season 4s Christmas episode's tedlexis scenes! Maybe Alexis helping Ted make more of the cookies, or meeting Alexis meeting Ted's friends at the party? Anything along those lines would be great! It's such a romantic episode.
> 
> One thousand apologies, dear prompt writer, that I'm incapable of doing sweet without a lot of angst to get me there. Also, I know this is wildly tame compared to the "E" rating you requested. I hope, despite all of this, that it warms your Christmas heart.
> 
> Title from ["It's You I Like" by Ellie Schmidly](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGgxkWXOQbEI), which is a cover of the inimitable Mister Rogers. I think we all need more of that in our lives at the end of this damn never ending decade.

“Alexis, it’s fine. We’ll stay.” 

Alexis is panicking. She rarely panics, but it changes her entire demeanor, like her body is humming with nervous energy. Johnny had just stormed out of the motel, clearly heartbroken that his family didn’t want to celebrate Christmas with him. They couldn’t leave him. Not like this. 

His friends would have to deal.

“No, Ted, we have to go! Your friends, like, hate me.” Her voice was pitching up, almost shaking.

Alexis never needed saving, but it didn’t stop Ted from wanting to help. 

“Alexis. This is clearly super important to your dad. My friends will understand.”

Well, they might not. But he would fix it. It was his fault they had a problem with her in the first place. He’d just been so upset over the breakup...

He drafts a text to their group chat — _ hey guys, really sorry, not going to make it tonight. Alexis’s family is having a last minute party and they really want her here. I’ll Christmiss you all! _ — then deletes it. They’ll be furious if this is how he drops the news. 

Alexis is still freaking out next to him. 

“Ugh, I hate this!” she says, shaking her hands. “It’s just that I’m basically his favorite and he’s already so upset and—”

Ted smooths his hands over her shoulders, and she calms down enough to meet his eyes. 

He takes a deep breath.

“Look, here’s what we’re going to do.”

He has a plan. But first, he grabs the bottle of red wine Stevie just opened and pours them both a glass. 

* * *

He stands outside with his half-drunk wine, thumb stalling over his phone screen. He’s shivering and needs to get back inside as soon as possible, but he can’t seem to bring himself to make the call. 

It’s not that they didn’t have their reasons for mistrusting Alexis. He had been pretty beat up after she broke off their engagements. He hasn’t forgotten that he brought down an entire party with his drunk, ugly sobbing more than once. He’d be wary too. 

When he’d offered Alexis a job, he’d gotten judgey looks and warning comments from nearly all of them. 

But how could he explain who Alexis was now? David had hit the nail on the head — she was different, but not _ that _different. She was still Alexis, carefree and loving and up for anything. And yeah, sometimes a little inconsiderate and selfish, but never if she thought it would actually hurt you. She cares about how she moves through the world now, about how her actions affect others. She had been ready to let him go, had cared more about his happiness than winning him back. 

They can’t leave tonight precisely because she _ is _ different now. She won’t leave her family. And honestly, what’s more admirable than that? 

He knocks back the rest of his wine and finally calls Allie. She was the most understanding after the breakup, spending nights making him tea and letting him cry on her shoulder, never giving him grief for falling for Alexis, never criticizing her or her character. But more importantly, she was also the only friend who said she had his back no matter what he decided, after Alexis told him she loved him. If anyone is going to be sympathetic right now, it’s her. 

She answers on the first ring. 

“Hey, Ted. What’s up?” 

“Hi, Allie. Do you have a minute?” 

* * *

Ted slips back into the room, the icy draft following him in until he shuts the door. He’d left his coat inside, optimistic that his phone call with Allie would be quick. He’s still shivering. 

“Okay, Alexis,” he says, willing his teeth to stop chattering. “Problem solved.” 

“Are they mad we’re not going?” 

“Nope, they’re coming here. They’ve gotta pack up the cookies and stuff, but then they’re on their way.” 

Allie had let out a deep sigh when he told her what was happening. 

_ “Ted, I just…we’ve had this planned for a year! Is this girl serious? _”

But he had reasoned with her. They were all so sure Alexis was this selfish monster who only cared about herself, but the _ only _ reason she was staying was to make her family happy. If they wanted to see who she really was, this was their chance. 

“Here? Your friends who _ hate me _ are coming _ here _ ? To the motel?” She punctuated her words with her hands, tips of her fingers pressed together on each hand. 

“Yep. And it’s gonna be great. They’re excited to meet you.” 

Well, that was an exaggeration. Still, there were emotions. 

“Ahhhh, Ted!” She was vibrating out of her skin again, the frantic energy she wasn’t used to dealing with taking control of her movements. “I can’t — they can’t see that I —” 

She looked wildly around the motel room. 

“Alexis, my friends aren’t like that. They aren’t going to — they’re just a little overprotective, that’s all.” He drops a kiss on her cheek. “Stop worrying, they’re going to love you.” 

They will, he tells himself. They just have to meet her. It will be fine. 

He refills his wine glass, and takes a big swallow to push down the nerves. 

* * *

Allie takes a deep breath, walks back into the room, and looks at her friends.

_ Here goes nothing. _

“Okay, folks, change of plans. We’re going to Ted’s.” 

Ted better know how much she loves him. This was a nightmare mission. 

Everyone is talking over each other. 

“Is it _ her _?”

“Why?” 

“Absolutely not. It’s _ snowing_, I’m not going anywhere.” 

She rolls her eyes and looks at each of them in turn. 

— “Yes, because of Alexis. She has a name, John.” 

— “Because her family is throwing a party and they feel guilty leaving.” 

— “We live in _ Canada_, please lose the melodrama over the snow.” 

They’re all mumbling again, but Allie isn’t listening. She walks into the kitchen and finds a few plastic containers and matching lids.

“Come on, everyone. Help me pack up the cookies. This contest is still on. I refuse to beat Ted on a technicality.” 

_ I hope this is worth it. _

* * *

“Alexis, you look like that time mom told you that Josh Groban was about to get to the house and you were 20 minutes into an hour-long face mask.” 

Alexis glares at her brother. 

“Okay, David, it just would have been nice to have a _ little _ warning! We had almost hooked up at Diddy’s White Party and suddenly he was on his way to the _ house. Anyway_,” she says pointedly. “Ted’s friends all _ hate _ me. And they’re coming _ here_. _ Tonight. _” 

“What? Ew. Why?” 

“_Because _ we were supposed to go to that cookie party or whatever, but then Dad was so sad and I just couldn’t leave him. But Ted said they were giving me _ one last chance_. Which like, ugh!” 

Her eyes look a little wild. It’s freaking him out. Nothing makes her anxious. That’s his job. 

“All right, Alexis, stop being so dramatic. Literally _ everyone _ likes you. It’s fucking obnoxious, actually.” 

“I _ know_, David! But they actually do hate me. They think I suck because, like, whatever.”

“Because you ripped Ted’s heart out twice then suckered him back in?” David says, smirking. 

“You’re such a dick, David.” Her voice is shaking. What the fuck? 

“Breaths, Alexis. Breaths,” he says, his brow furrowed. “It’s going to be fine. You’re starting to sound like me.” 

Just then they hear Stevie should from the next room—

“How the hell are we down to one bottle of red?” 

* * *

“Hey, guys! Thank you _ so _ much for coming over!” 

Ted is a little drunk. Well, maybe more than a little. Alexis had driven them to the house to pick up the cookies, and he’d downed three of her canned Malibu pineapple drinks. They were small, he had reasoned with himself. Now that they’re hitting...it might have been a mistake. He probably should have skipped that last glass of zhampagne at the motel.

No, it’s going to be fine. It’s going to be _ great. _

“Hiii, oh my god, it’s so good to meet you! I _ love _this dress. You just look so light and airy, like a cute Christmas fairy.” 

Alexis’s voice goes high-pitched and screechy when she’s nervous. Ted’s only heard it a few times, but he recognizes it immediately. It has the unfortunate effect of making everything she says sound insincere, an actual tragedy because he knows Alexis means every compliment that comes out of her mouth. He’s never met anyone who so sincerely compliments everyone they meet. He loves it about her. 

Mary looks down at her dress, and then back at Alexis. She doesn’t look impressed.

Alexis is trying. Hard. She makes small talk (_i__t’s sooo nice to have an actual white Christmas, isn’t it? _ ), she asks all the right questions (_so are you all like, vets too or…? _) and generally tries to be as nice and sweet and charming as she can. 

His friends, on the other hand, are not trying at all. With the exception of Allie, they’ve all settled somewhere between stoic and icy, refusing to give answers longer than a few words. Allie is making an effort, but she can’t carry the entire group. 

It’s frustrating him to no end. Alexis slips away to talk to David briefly, and they’re back to their normal selves, chatting with Patrick, cooing at Roland Jr, and even making small talk with Johnny at one point.

The second Alexis joins them again, everyone’s guards go right back up. 

“John, Ted told me you just went to Japan. That’s _ fun _! What did you do? David and I used to go like, four times a year.” 

“Oh, you know. Just sightseeing, ate some ramen. Nothing special.” 

_ Fucking hell_. John had talked for a half hour straight the last time someone asked him about his Japan trip. They’re just being cruel at this point. 

Ted dips into the adjoining room to grab a bottle of Fireball from Alexis’s dresser. He suggests a round of shots, hoping it will loosen them up. 

“Cinnamon — Christmas themed!” he says, and winces when he hears how lame it is. Whatever. At least everyone is taking one. 

“Thanks for coming, guys, even with the weather like this. It’s _ snow _ fun celebrating without you.” 

Oof. That last shot hit hard. Maybe he should sit down. But—

“Ted!” Alexis is laughing, eyes sparkling. He’s learned to tell now which puns she was really laughing at, and somehow this one had gotten her. He smiles back at her. 

Ted sees Allie looking at them from the corner of his eye and turns to look at her. The small smile on her face is warm and genuine. 

“So, Alexis, Ted told us you started your own business?” 

* * *

Allie looks over at Ted and he is _ wasted_. He'd taken another shot on his own after the rest of them had declined, and he'd been looking pretty buzzed when they had walked in. It’s been a while since Drunk Ted came out to play, and it’s 50/50 if he’s going to be fun or an absolute mess. The jury is still out on tonight. 

“Oookay, Ted, I think it’s time for some water,” says Alexis, running a hand up and down Ted’s arm. It’s sweet. 

“No, no, I’m fine. I’m just going to have some more wine.”

He looks at his friends.

“Hey! Do you wanna do more shots?” 

“Mmmm, no, I don’t think so. Here,” she says, pushing a cup into his hand. “Have this, and then we can talk about shots.” 

Alexis makes eye contact over Ted’s shoulder and gives Allie an exaggerated grimace. 

_ Ah. _Looks like this isn’t Alexis’s first encounter with Drunk Ted either. 

“C’mere, babe, let’s just sit down and have something to eat.” 

He plops into one of the old mid-century motel chairs, and she hands him a plate of cheese and crackers. Allie watches Ted shovel the snacks into his mouth. Alexis is standing next to him and petting his head soothingly. Ted closes his eyes and leans his head into her hip.

Alexis is looking down at Ted like he’s the only person in the room. Drunk-off-his-ass, impossible-to-corral Ted, and her face is just _ plastered _with love and adoration. 

Well then. Maybe they were wrong after all. 

The sweetness of the moment is spoiled by a sudden “oh no” from Ted, who jumps up and runs to the bathroom. 

_ Oh god. _It’s rolf-and-rally Drunk Ted. Alexis lets out a sigh and follows him to the bathroom. Allie looks back at her friends. They’re all nodding knowingly. If Drunk Ted was turning back into a pumpkin, it was time to head out. 

At least Allie had finally won that damn cookie contest. 

* * *

**Ted**: Was 2 nite ok? 

**Allie**: It was fun. Thanks for inviting us. 

**Ted**: u mad? 

**Allie**: Of course we’re not mad 

**Ted**: Did u like her? 

**Ted**: I like her 

**Allie**: I liked her 

**Ted**: R u sure? 

**Ted**: Shes rly nice 

**Ted**: I love her 

**Allie**: I’m sure. She really cares about you. Sorry we were so harsh before 

**Ted**: evryone else???

**Allie**: They’ll come around

**Ted**: Thats good 

**Ted:** I love her. Rly rly rly love her

**Ted**: lex says i have to go sleep now

**Ted**: says im sloppy

**Ted: **pfffttasd im not sloppy

**Allie**: Mmm, you should listen to her. She’s smart. 

**Allie**: Good night, Ted. Merry Christmas. 

**Author's Note:**

> Folks, this fic almost broke me. It took all three of my betas, and still I thought I was gonna give up. 
> 
> Thanks to all of you who read over it and cheered me on while I sat behind my screen mumbling incoherently about its incoherence. Y'all are the real VIPs.


End file.
